Many prior art systems and processes determine user content preferences based on the user's prior viewing pattern and/or history. Typically, content (interchangeably referred to herein as a media content event) presents theme-based visual and audio content to a user for their enjoyment and/or for informative purposes. Examples of such theme-based content includes movies, films, serial programming, sporting events, documentaries, newscasts, religious programs, commercials (typically of short duration with advertising content), or the like. Serial programming may present a continuing plot and/or theme, often with the same cast of actors, in a sequential episode-by-episode basis that is available periodically. Advertisements, commercials or the like may be interspersed within the media content event. Content may also be audio only content, such as a song, concert, commentary, or the like.
As is well known in the arts, the user's prior viewing pattern and/or history can be analyzed to identify characteristics of the content that the user has previously viewed. Then, a comparison of the identified characteristics of the prior viewed content may be used to identify patterns of the user's viewing habits and/or preferences such that one or more particular genres of favored content can be identified. A genre is a category of artistic composition, as in audio visual content, music or literature, that is characterized by similarities in form, style, and/or subject matter. Such identified genre can then be defined as a user preference for that particular user.
The benefits of knowing user preferences are well known. For example, once user-preferred content that the user has not yet consumed is identified, the user can be informed about the availability of the identified user-preferred content. For example, a future scheduled broadcast of one or more of the identified user-preferred content can be indicated to the user who may then choose to view and/or record the content when the content is broadcast. Some systems may even automatically configure a user device to record the identified user-preferred content during the broadcast of the content. Alternatively, or additionally, one or more of the identified user-preferred content may be available on a pay for view basis, a rental, and/or on a premium based service. Here, the user may decide to pay to view and/or subscribe to a service to obtain access to the identified user-preferred content.
Such prior art systems and processes identify user preferences based on historical viewing patterns or activities of the user. That is, the prior art systems and processes determine user genre preferences based on “what” content the user has previously consumed (interchangeably referred to herein as “viewing” or the like).
A deficiency in such prior art systems and processes is that there is a likelihood in failing to identify particular content that the user may otherwise be interested in viewing when that content does not relate to an identified user genre preference determined from “what” content the user has previously consumed. More particularly, the prior art systems and processes have not determined “why” the user may prefer such genre-based content. That is, the user's personal experiences have not been taken into account during the determination of the user preference.
To illustrate, consider a user who has an identified user genre preference for action type content (action movies, action serial programs, or the like). This particular identified user genre preference is based upon the user having previously consumed a plurality of action genre content. Further, consider situations where the prior art systems and processes have not determined that the user might like to consume a media content event associated with a romantic comedy genre (since the user has not previously viewed, or has only previously viewed a relatively small number of, romantic drama genre content). Here, it is very likely that the prior art systems and processes may fail to identify and recommend a particular media content event that is classified, at least in part, to be a romantic drama genre media content event because this romantic comedy genre media content event is not associated with the action genre content that has been determined to be a user genre preference. However, it may be that the user may actually want to consume this particular media content event even though it is not one of the user's genre preferences.
Further, the particular media content event that is not recommended may have one or more story elements that may be of high interest to the user. A story element is a textual description of a thematic aspect of the media content event that includes the following components: the characters, the setting, the plot, the conflict and the resolution. Thus, the particular media content event would not be recommend to the user even though that particular media content event may have one or more story elements that are of high interest to the user.
Accordingly, there is a need in the art to improve prior art systems and processes that are limited to identifying user preferences based on “what” particular content the user has previously consumed.